First year RN Flops. Does it get better?

Thank God, someone else! I'm about to complete six months on the job, and the impression I've gotten is this...In nursing school, they told me how much I would learn my first year on the job. But they didn't tell me that I would learn by making a whole bunch of mistakes! (Seriously, I'm kind of ****** at them for that.)

What I hate is that I tend to have to go between the two extremes of a rule, that is, either sticking to patient-centered care or sticking to my schedule/policy, or asking a bunch of questions or shutting up so my coworkers quit saying I keep asking the same questions.

God, I've made a couple of huge mistakes, that only by the grace of God didn't become disasters. But the most important encouragement I've heard from ANYONE so far is what a coworker said one day when I was frustrated, "In my first year of nursing, there were multiple times when I felt like quitting because of my own performance or because of my coworkers/policy." Meaning, it's sh- sometimes, and, yes, my patients don't have the best nurse that they could right now. But this is the only way for me to become a better nurse...by doing it, and that means making mistakes, no matter what management says.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. It's good to hear from someone else going through the same thing. It's not the same to vent to non-nursing friends, and most of my nursing school friends are still looking for work. . I just hope it gets better. I go to work now thinking, oh god, what am i going to mess up today? I ask a lot of questions too and feel very "needy". "How do I do this?" "who do I call if i need this.", etc. Thanks for the empathy. :)

Speaking from me experience 15 years ago when I was a new nurse in my first year working I went through many of the same things you all describe. Just keep at it.... it does get better. Here I am 15 years later and still enjoy the job (most days :) ) .

Good to know im not the only one

Yup-it gets better. Start now to make sure you finish those little details. As you will find out some coworkers are unforgiving and will focus on those little mistakes. Just be sure your patients are well taken care of, chart throughout the day and then ensure your charting is complete before heading home. You'll work out a routine! Good luck.

I have to laugh at this thread. I had worked for two years as a nurse's aide in the unit I was hired for after graduation. My growth was rapid and thankfully, pretty easy. did I go home and worry that I'd hadn't signed something or that I'd missed a med or an IV change- or God Forbid- taken the keys home? OH YES- all that and more.

After 6 months, I suddenly became a charge nurse on days and evenings. Talk about flop sweat!!!! Thankfully, some of my more experienced nurses helped me learn how to assign nurses to patients, to master all the desk issues, and finally I was ok most of the time- I hated when they pulled my unit secretary and I had to do charge, patients and do all the admission paper work......

There I was, at 2 1/1 years, feeling confident as could be.

Then I transferred to the OR. I was the most STOOOOPID person in the whole wide world, all of a sudden. It took me close to two years to have it all "snap" into place. I can't tell you how many evenings I went home and cried about the bad day- and they were all bad days for a long time. Suddenly, it popped into place, I gained perspective and the proper organization skills and I was no longer stupid. I was just sorta new, but had an idea of where this was and when to do that, etc.

With nursing so specialized these days, I imagine that anyone who changes from one unit to another, unless they were very closely aligned units, will go through that same type of CULTURE SHOCK. Because, that is what it is.

Yes, all you newbies out there, it does get better. You will find your own way of getting organized, you will learn all the places to find stuff, how to keep up with which patient is going to Xray or the OR or to where ever. You'll learn how to manage to even have lunch, too.

Most importantly, at this stage of the game, go for a run, to the gym, out to dinner with friends, commiserate with other nurses from your unit, spend time with your family, go away to the beach or mountains or the museum. Cook for yourself, take your vitamins, do yoga or meditate, but let work stay at work and not torment all night/day til it's time to go to work. Your adrenals are working overtime, here! Do something else, even if it means you bake 12 dozen cookies tonight to share with the rest of the unit tomorrow; your mind needs time away to clear itself and to get you off the constant rumination and self-doubt track.

Haha how typical of new nurses...I'm into my 5 week of orientation (well really 6 week since the first week I followed my preceptor) and yesterday I had one of the worst days ever...it started from me not being able to draw a med from an ampule I pulled back on on a plunger of the syringe to much and I spilled the med that I arleady draw up..I had to call pharmacy and order the same med again,than I send off my patient to the hemodialysis and when she came back I forgot to perform the physical assesment on her, missed an order on another patient and kept forgetting the the patient was NPO (he was not NPO in the morning but all of the sudden he become NPO due to going for abdominal ultrasound..days like yesterday make me question myself if nursing career is for me...I have been very stressed out since I started my orientation. Just keep studing after work,that is what I do,I study diseases processes and lab results of the patients that I had the previous day,I look up the meds that are new to me,practice putting the whole picture together things (I find myself struggling with that one the most,also prioritizing,which patient do I see first patient who is going into the dialysis,or patient who have an active chest pain LOL) Seriously I think the managers,nurses and anybody should NOT expect from us new nurses to be perfect and mistake free,we obviously just learning how to swim and dont have years of experience to connect all the pieces of the puzzles,lets hope we get there some day and in the mean time pray for not killing our patients LOL

Hang in there. The first year is really rough--so much to learn and to adjust to while trying to meet the expectations of our profession. I'm coming up on year 5 and most days even when busy are good. There are some that are great where everything clicks and a few where things just don't come together. I love it and can't imagine my life without being a nurse. Stick it out because the good part is still to come! Do things you enjoy when you aren't at work and give yourself credit for doing a job that can be mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. Doing it well is a real gift for the patients, society, and yourself.

God, I was hoping to find a post like this. I am in my 3rd week of orientation at my new job. I was very lucky to get hired at a great hospital. This week I had two patients on my own and I misread a Drs. order -he DC's two antibiotics and added another which I missed (fortunately the next nurse picked up on it and gave it the same evening), then I forgot to document a med (told the nurse in report about the med and have much I had given to that point-BUT DIDN'T DOCUMENT)-I kept checking the printer for the labels for the MAR, but sometimes it takes hours and then forgot to check it before I left. I should have handwritten it on the MAR while I waited for the label. I know now that when you have 6 bags of an IVPB you need to number the bags 1/6, 2/6, etc and write a number for each bag and cross off and sign as you give them. I am learning a lot, but felt so incompetent and stupid this week. I check my meds 5-6 times because I am so freaked out about making a med error and this slows me down as well. I'd rather be slow and safe, but it is stressful each time I leave the hospital wondering all night if I have forgotten something. I really thought I was the only one making mistakes. I feels soooooooooooo uncomfortable and scary.

I cried to my manager at least twice during orientation the first month after orientation. I've forgotten to sign papers, enter information, taken the PCA key home and the hospital cell phone home. They called me on my days off because of various incomplete paperwork. I've been working for almost 2 years now. It will get better. You will have bad days and you will have good days. Keep your head up!!

This thread is just what I needed to read. I'm in my 3rd week of orientation in the ED after orienting for 2 months on med/surg and 5 weeks in ICU.

I told my preceptor on Saturday that I will probably make every mistake there is to make in my first month in the ED. He just laughed. I am still making a bloody mess almost every time I start an IV. It so so hard for me to occlude the vein while screwing on the hep trap. Yesterday I dropped the hep trap while screwing it in on two patients! I told my preceptor to let me try alone, so he wasn't there to help me! :uhoh3: Yikes! Bloody mess. Thank goodness the patients were understanding. Although one didn't speak English and she and her daughter were speaking Spanish to each other the entire time I was fumbling! I'm sure they were either making fun of me or worse! Live and learn!

Then I left a tournaquit on a patient after I started her IV (another bloody mess) and drew bloods. The PCA and Charge nurse saw that I left it on and let me know. Thank goodness they were laughing about it. They told me that they've done it too. Then the charge nurse was teasing me later on, saying that the patient will probably sue because of the tournaquit. I think because of her teasing, I will ALWAYS remember to take off the tournaquit! I am thankful that the people I work with in the ED are helpful and caring toward their coworkers.:redbeathe

I, too, spend a lot of time when I am not working reviewing pathophysiology, meds, and lab values. One of the nurses I graduated with who has been working as a nurse for 6 years tells me that reading is fine, but you'll learn all of that (especially lab values and what it means to the patient) through repetition on the job.

When I first started in the ED two weeks ago, I thought "there is no routine here, I need a routine". True, sometimes someone will come in with something you haven't seen before, but there really is a routine to the ED.

I feel more confident this week that I will be able to handle it. That may change tomorrow, but I'll persevere!

Keep your heads up! It DOES get better. We have all made mistakes, and ya you might have a couple old fuddy duddies which will always Bi*** at you but don't let it get you down. Get yourself a routine, remember that this is a JOB you aren't COMPLETELY altruistic.... or else you would be a saint... or an unpaid nun. That being said my shift that I have worked out for myself that works well is this... 7:15-7:30 introduce myself to all patients ask if they are in pain and make sure they are they are stable. 7:30-8:00 do my assessments. 8:00-9:30 pass meds. 9:30-11:00 check charts. 11:00-11:15 break. 11:15-1:00 chart audits and help other nurses get caught up. 1:00-1:15 break. 1:15-4:00 care plans and anything else that needs to be done. 4:00-4:15 break. 4:15-6:00 charting IV fluids and what not. 6:00-6:45 pass meds. I try to stick to this fairly closely. And if you are going into a patient's room try to get as much stuff done in that room as possible. Fewer trips = more efficiency. Now this doesn't always work exactly like that but usually it does, and usually I have time to help other's starting their IVs or help them get caught up. Also by taking a break you can organize your thoughts and hit the job again with a renewed vigor!

What I have found is 1st year sucks, 2nd year can be discouraging... starts looking up about the middle of the 2nd year. Keep your chin up. And keep learning!